Dragon's Shadow
by Wollven
Summary: It started as a normal Saturday afternoon. Then, a man spoke to him from the T.V. Just a story I have to make for my E.L.A class, and since I had a lot of characters that are going to be from RWBY, I decided to post it here. Also, Neptune from RWBY isn't in this story, though my OC is named Neptune. Rated K because of a little bit of swearing.


Dragon's Shadow

[The Message]

It was a normal Saturday afternoon, and I was watching a random show on T.V. I didn't really know what it was about, as I was only half paying attention. Mostly, I was thinking about my grades in school and how I could raise them. If you asked anyone at school about me, they would say that I was a bad student that didn't care about my education, but that wasn't really true. I did care about getting a good job and having an education, I just hated how the district taught things. So there I was, sitting on the bed, with the T.V. blaring in the background, until I suddenly heard my name being called.

"Coming!" I called, assuming that my guardian wanted to to me about my less than stellar grades. However, I heard my name being called again and listening more carefully this time, I noticed that it was coming from the T.V. 'Oh,' I thought, 'It's just the dumb show. What's it about, anyways?' I tuned in, interested that someone on a show would have the same name as me. After all, it isn't often that you meet someone with the name Neptune. On the screen, there was a older man's face, looking straight at me.

'Okay... that's weird,' I gulped. It seemed as though he was looking through the T.V. straight at me. 'That's not possible, it's just a show.' I calmed, assuring myself that it was impossible that someone in a show could look through the television. Just as I was about to relax, however, the man proved me wrong.

"Neptune," he said, "We need you at the docks. Come at nine tomorrow night. Do not be late." The message ended, and it cut to the show that I assumed was supposed to be on.

I sat, wide eyed, staring at the screen, mind racing. Someone just talked to me through the television, and told me to meet them at the docks. Should I go? What if they wanted to kidnap me? What if they were going to give me a ton of money for no reason? These thoughts and many others went through my mind, as I decided whether to go or not.

'What's the worst that can happen?' I thought, 'It's not like I have a great home life, and if they want to kidnap me, they won't get any ransom money from my parents.' With that final thought in my head, I made up my mind. I would go see what this person wanted.

I got out of bed, and turned off the T.V. I decided to sleep, so that I could get this over with.

[The Ship and the Meeting]

I woke up early the next day, which meant that I had a lot of time to waste. This wasn't a good thing at all, since it meant I had time to think about all the things that the person could do to me. What if they were a pedophille? What if they were going to kill me and sell my body parts? What if they were going to torture me? 'Why would they torture me?' I shook my head, trying to get rid of these thoughts. 'No, I made up my mind already. I am going to go see what they want, even if what they want is to kill me.' As I thought this, I got up, intent to waste the rest of the day playing games, both to take my mind off of things and to maybe get some hate mail. I don't know why I loved it so much, but I guessed it was just a strange quirk I had.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon it was eight thirty. I got up and headed out, nervousness making me shake slightly. As I walked through the streets towards the nearby docks, I saw something strange happen. It looked like a ship was… flying? I shook my head, 'Ships don't fly, idiot. You've been playing too many games.' The ship-that-looked-like-it-was-flying-but was-probably-just-part-of-my-imagination ducked out of sight, and I shook my head again. I kept walking, and again thoughts of what the strange man could do to me filled my mind. However, I didn't let them stop me from moving forwards.

As I neared the place that the man on the television told me to meet him, I saw the same ship that I thought was flying early docked, and two people were walking out of it. The ship itself looked sleek, painted a deep ocean blue, and there were many people on the deck, looking towards me. I looked to the two men that got off, taking in their appearance.

The man in the lead was the one that had talked to me over the T.V. and had white hair that looked like salt, and he wore bowler hat, a tweed jacket, a pair of black pants with dress shoes that matched. In his hand, he held a cane that clicked against the ground in time with his steps. To his right stood another man, who looked to be older than the man leading. He was hunched over, and what I could see of his face that wasn't covered by his straw-like white hair looked shriveled with age. He wore a blacksmith apron, with a white shirt under it. He also wore a pair of working trousers, and a hammer swung at his side.

"Hello there, Neptune." said first man, smiling. "I'm glad you came. It's not often people actually respond to strange men," the second man chuckled here, "talking to them from a T.V. screen. I expect you have many question, but we must leave, before-" I held up my hand here, stopping him from speaking any more.

"Hold on, I don't even know who you are, do you just think I'm going to run off with you just because you can hack into T.V.s?" I stared at him, raising an eyebrow, "Because if you do, you are sorely mistaken. I only came here to see why someone would want anything to do with me. I don't even know your name!"

The second man spoke now, with a gruff voice that demanded I listened, "Well, we were getting to that, before you so kindly interrupted us. My name's Andre, and I'm the blacksmith of this here ship," he pointed at the boat behind him, "and this cripple's name is Ozpin, the captain."

Ozpin, as I now knew him, faced the newly named Andre and said, "I'm hardly a cripple, this cane just makes me look fancy. Besides," he turned back to look at me, "names are hardly important right now. We need to leave, now."

I stood my ground, now glaring at the two men. "And why would I do that? You have just come into my life, demanded that I come with you onto a ship, without explaining why. For all I know, you just want to kill me!"

I turned and walked away, ignoring the men's pleas for me to wait. I arrived back home and looked at the clock. It was almost midnight now, and I had school tomorrow. "Shi-"

[The New Headmaster]

I got up the next day tired, from staying up too late the night before, though I didn't remember what I had done. I chalked it up the staying up reading on my phone too long, as I often did. I grabbed my phone from my nightstand, and turned off my alarm. Walking over to my dresser at the foot of my bed, I took out a shirt, a pair of shorts, and my favorite sweater. Checking the time again, only ten minutes had passed, and I had plenty of time to waste. So, I did the logical thing, and played on my computer. I did a few matches in my favorite game, before remembering that I had school… and had to walk. Bolting upright, I raced through the door and ran all the way to school. On the way, I past by several strangers, and I felt as though I knew them, even though I had never met them in my life. As I neared the school, I began increasingly worried that I wouldn't make it, and I was proven correct when I saw the the gate to the school were closed. I sighed, knowing that I would get sent up the the headmaster for arriving late too many times.

"Neptune!" A woman's voice called out. I looked to where the voice called from, and saw the security guard leaning against the wall near the gate. "You really need to stop arriving late." She sighed here, shaking her head, then glared at me. "I trust you know where to go?"

"Yes Glynda, I know where to go. And I'm really sorry, the bus is goes nowhere near me."

Glynda sighed again, "Well, just try not to arrive late again, okay? You can be a great student, I know you can."

"Alright, see you later, I guess." I shrugged, and headed into the office to face the headmaster. I wasn't too worried though, as he wasn't strict, and would most likely just try and get me to promise not to be late again.

When I entered the main office to head into the headmaster's private office, I saw the the nameplate was changed, and sported the name Ozpin instead of Oscar, as I had been used to. Worried, I placed my hand on the handle, before looking back at the nametag. Suddenly, I remembered the night before, and my eyes widened. I threw open the door, glaring at the man sitting behind the desk.

"Really?" I said, pouring as much hate as I could into my voice. "Why do you want me to go with you so much?!"

"Do you believe in fairy tales, Neptune?" Ozpin asked, sipping from a coffee cup. I stepped back in surprise, not expecting him to say that.

"W-What? Um, The Dragon's Bane, I guess. But, what's that have to do with anything? Why are you here?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice.

Ozpin simply smiled, and said, "Everything, Neptune. Tell me, what do you know of the old story?"

I decided to humor him, trying to get him to answer me. "Well, an Ocean Dragon is terrorizing the world, ruining everything mankind built. One day, the dragon attacks an old fisherman and destroys everything the man owned. Feeling sorry, a knight helps him rebuild his house and boat. In return, the fisherman gives the knight a weapon of great power, and with the weapon the knight slays the dragon, right?"

"Precisely. As it turns out, the tale told the truth, and a dragon did indeed live in the ocean long ago. However, recently it seems that it has come back, causing many disasters. This is why all the hurricanes have formed, and if we don't slay the dragon, more will just keep on forming. And that's where you come in. We need you to slay the dragon, Neptune."

"Why me?" I asked, "I'm just a kid. I'm probably the weakest in my class, and I can't run that fast either. The only thing I'm good at is swimming! How would I kill a dragon, assuming that it really does exist? And why didn't you tell me that some ancient dragon had come back to life in the first place?!" I shouted, in fear and confusion.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, and responded in a calm voice. "To answer your first question, we are going to train you. Remember, you don't need to be the strongest or fastest to be the best. And for your second question, we were going to tell you as soon as we got on the ship, until you ran off. Now," Ozpin stood up, his voice turning stern, "will you join us? If you do, it will be harder than anything you have ever done, but if you don't, you may be putting the entire world at risk of destruction."

I stood, wide eyed. "I… I need some time to think about this…"

"No!" Ozpin slammed his hands on the table, "There is no time for hesitation! Will you or will you not join us?" His voice lowered towards the end, and he sat down again. "I know it's a hard choice, to leave everything behind, but you either join us, or leave the world to be destroyed."

I snorted, and said, "What would I leave behind? My parents? I don't have any… Fine. I'll go with you, as long as you do train me. Okay?"

Ozpin grinned, and grabbed his coffee mug and cane. "Good. We must leave at once, the ship has already been docked too long."

[The First Encounter]

We stood up, and walked out of the private office and into the main one, then outside towards the docks. As stepped onto the docks, we heard a loud roar. Ozpin and I looked at each other, then raced towards where Ozpin's ship was. As we neared, Ozpin took of the handle of his cane, and withdrew a sword that was hidden within. Another roar sounded as we arrived, and I saw the dragon for the first time. It was huge, around the size of a two storied house. It was a navy blue color, with massive wings that were flapping, holding it in the air. It's long, thick tail had fins on the end, and webbed feet grappled with the side of the boat. People were being flung off the side of the boat, and I knew that they wouldn't survive long with the thrashing waves.

"Ozpin!" I pointed towards the water, "They're going to drown! What should we do?"

Ozpin looked towards where I pointed and swore. "Well, I guess we're going to see how well you can swim today! Get in there and get they out!"

I nodded, and took off my shoes and shirt. I jumped into the water, and swam to the nearest person. I could feel the water pushing me forwards, calming a bit as I raced through the waves. I soon reached the first person, a girl who couldn't keep her head above the water long enough to take a breath. I grabbed her, and swam back to the shore. I layed her down, made she could breath again, and took off to save the next person. I got to them, and did the same as her for the first. Only two more were left, and I was confident that I could get them both. However, as I got the first of the two to the shore, the dragon descended into the waves, pushing the last man farther out than I could swim. I looked in horror, believing that they would drown. Suddenly, a woman dived out of the boat, and grabbed on the man. She then swam to us, set the man down, and turned to me.

"So. Who're you, kid?"

[The Beginning]

I stared at the woman in shock. As far as I knew, only I should be able to survive waves that were that big, and that was only because of my special ability.

"Well? You gonna answer?" She said, smirking, "Or are you just gonna stare?"

I blushed and quickly faced away. Her outfit was all white, and very see through because it was wet.

"You still haven't answered my question…" She was quickly getting annoyed, and I knew that I should answer.

"Uh, Neptune, Ma'am. You were on the boat, right? Ozpin brought me here." I stood up and looked into her eyes, making sure that my eyes didn't look anywhere below her neck. I didn't want to give her the wrong impression. Looking at her, I saw that she had white hair and purplish silver eyes. From what I saw of her outfit when I saw, she had what looked like a slightly old fashion military uniform, that you would see on pictures of generals in the 1800's, but more modern looking.

She smiled at me, then turned serious. "Hey, I saw you help these guys out," she gestured towards the three girls I got out of the water, "and I appreciate that. But, someone who's as weak as you should not be able to survive waves like that. Hell, I bet only Olympian swimmers could. So, how did you do it?" Her voice was low and dangerous, but I got the feeling that she was just curious, and not truly hostile.

"I, don't really know. I'm just really lucky, I guess," I lied, not wanting to tell anyone of my strange ability just yet. I knew that eventually I would have to, but I wanted time to learn the full extent of its powers. I don't remember when I learned that I could control water, but I only really started to train in a year before. I always kept it secret, not wanting to be outcasted because of it.

"Is that so…" She glanced at me, before turning away and walking towards the girls I helped.. "Well, if you really are the one Ozpin brought, then you're part of the crew, and that means that we need to get theses girls back on board. You grab Ruby," she pointed to one of the girls I saved, that was dressed in red, "And I'll take Weiss, as she is my sister." She grabbed the other white haired girl, and I could see the similarities. The same white hair, the same face shape, and the same white outfit. I averted my eyes again, knowing that the cloth would be see-through again.

"What about the her? And the man you rescued?" I said, looking towards the last girl and the guy. Winter followed my gaze, and said, "Well, Nora should be up in-"

"PANCAKES!" I yelped, and jumped back as the sudden shout rang out. I stood, wide eyes as I looked at the girl. She smiled at me, then ran around me and Winter, talking about how cool it was to be knocked off the boat. I turned towards Winter with an brow raised, a hand on my chest trying to calm down my speeding heart.

Winter sighed, "Should be up in about now… Nora, take Cardin up to the ship. And please."

"'Kay!" Nora grabbed the boy, and rushed off to the ship.

"And don't try to break his legs again!" Winter shouted towards Nora's quickly retreating figure. "No promises!" Nora shouted back, her voice already faint from the distance. Winter sighed again, then spoke to me.

"We need to get back to the ship, follow me." I nodded, and walked back with her to the ship. As we walked, I looked at the girl I held in my hands. Winter had called her Ruby, and it fit. She had black hair, with red tips, and had pale, clear skin. She wore a black long sleeve shirt, and wore a black skirt that had a red trim. On her back, she had a red cloak with a hood. All in all, it looked like when she heard her name, she decided to add as much of its color as she could into her outfit and still look fashionable.

As Winter and I approached the boat, I saw a girl with fiery yellow hair pacing on the deck, next to the ramp that led on board. As soon as she saw me, she jumped over the gap between the boat and the docks, and raced to me. Snatching Ruby out of my arms, she pressed her body against her, murmuring. She looked at me, nodded in thanks, and then raced off. I shrugged to myself, not knowing what had just happened, but I knew that I would learn in time. As I boarded the ship, Ozpin walked up to me.

"Welcome aboard the Dragon's Bane." He smiled. "It's nice to have you on board. I know you are most likely tired, but first, care for a tour?"


End file.
